Staying Positive
It's been established, time and time again, that people who keep a positive mental attitude outperform those with negative mental attitudes in almost every endeavor. Which begs the obvious question: why do so many intelligent people cling so tightly to a gloom-and-doom view on life?
I think one of the primary reasons is that negativity fits better in a social context, for a couple of reasons. It's very easy to rally people around commiseration, because it makes for more interesting conversation. We bond over mutual dislikes and common enemies. Linux culture was almost certainly born out of dissatisfaction, and it was nurtured into maturity by a collective hatred of Bill Gates and Microsoft.
The reason that negativity is more "sticky" in our culture might have something to do with the fact that we're taught to be so positive. My upbringing wasn't strict, and I had great parents, but I was taught to tell "white lies" in social situations. That is, even if you're unhappy or don't like something, you should put on a happy face and endure, if for no other reason than to spare the other person's feelings. Most of us learn this at some point when we're young.
But then something happens in our adolescence. Maybe it's a substitute teacher in our sixth grade English class who stands up and bores the entire class to tears for 35 minutes with a speech. And because you've been taught to smile, nod, and pretend you're interested, that's what you do.
Then, as you're leaving the class, one of your fellow classmates says to you, "Man, that guy was boring." The honesty breaks through the facade, and suddenly, there's a connection between you two. It's liberating. You're suddenly allowed to express how you really feel, you've bonded with another human being, and maybe this feeling alone, in this context, is powerful enough to create a positive association to commiseration in our minds.
Me, I think if you're going to insist on rallying people around something to hate, at least do what the Linux people did: spin it into something positive and create something with it.
I think one of the primary reasons is that negativity fits better in a social context, for a couple of reasons. It's very easy to rally people around commiseration, because it makes for more interesting conversation. We bond over mutual dislikes and common enemies. Linux culture was almost certainly born out of dissatisfaction, and it was nurtured into maturity by a collective hatred of Bill Gates and Microsoft.
The reason that negativity is more "sticky" in our culture might have something to do with the fact that we're taught to be so positive. My upbringing wasn't strict, and I had great parents, but I was taught to tell "white lies" in social situations. That is, even if you're unhappy or don't like something, you should put on a happy face and endure, if for no other reason than to spare the other person's feelings. Most of us learn this at some point when we're young.
But then something happens in our adolescence. Maybe it's a substitute teacher in our sixth grade English class who stands up and bores the entire class to tears for 35 minutes with a speech. And because you've been taught to smile, nod, and pretend you're interested, that's what you do.
Then, as you're leaving the class, one of your fellow classmates says to you, "Man, that guy was boring." The honesty breaks through the facade, and suddenly, there's a connection between you two. It's liberating. You're suddenly allowed to express how you really feel, you've bonded with another human being, and maybe this feeling alone, in this context, is powerful enough to create a positive association to commiseration in our minds.
Me, I think if you're going to insist on rallying people around something to hate, at least do what the Linux people did: spin it into something positive and create something with it.